This invention relates to recreational vehicles or manufactured housing units having a retractable room in which the retractable room is tilted as it moves into its fully extended and fully retracted positions to achieve a tight seal along the upper flange of the room.
The width of recreational vehicles and manufactured housing units are limited to that which may be accommodated for travel on public roads. Accordingly, it is increasingly common to provide recreational vehicles and manufactured housing units with a slide-out room that can be retracted into the main living quarters when the unit is being moved or driven, but which can be extended from the main living quarters to provide auxiliary living space when the unit is parked for use or when the manufactured home is assembled at the home site.
Typically, slide-out rooms are supported by telescoping tubes or other actuation mechanisms mounted to the frame of the vehicle. The actuation mechanisms are usually connected to a lower portion of the slide-out room and extended laterally from the vehicle to increase the living space of the vehicle. When the tubes or actuation mechanisms are retracted, the slide-out room is likewise retracted into the main living area of the vehicle. Sealing is provided to seal the slide-out room in both the extended and retracted positions. However, the slide-out room is only semi-rigid, and portions of the room furthest from the actuation mechanisms (normally along the top edge), are not sufficiently rigid that engagement with the seals can be assured. The actuation mechanisms of slide-out rooms can be adjusted so that the portions of the room closest to the actuation mechanisms, which is the portion of the room closest to the frame and floor, are maintained against the seals when the room is retracted, but the portion of the room furthest away, such as that portion of the room adjacent the ceiling, may deflect sufficiently that the seals are not engaged.
Accordingly, it has become customary to use so-called xe2x80x9ctravel locksxe2x80x9d to latch and maintain the top of the slide-out room in a position in which the slide-out room is engaged with and sealed against the main living area all around the slide-out room. Such latching mechanisms are generally positioned on the inside of the vehicle along the side wall opening. When the room is retracted into the vehicle, the latching mechanisms are engaged to lock the room against the side wall of the vehicle such that the room outer wall is compressed against the vehicle side wall along the periphery of the side wall opening to provide the desired seal. These latching mechanisms, however, are cumbersome and inconvenient to operate.
Moreover, since the latching mechanisms are manual, the vehicle operator must remember to lock the room into its retracted position before travel, and to unlock the latching mechanisms before extending the room to its in-use position. If the latching mechanisms are not engaged during travel, the elements may enter the main living area of the vehicle causing damage. If the latching mechanisms are not disengaged before an attempt is made to extend the slide-out room to its in-use position, the actuation mechanism, the slide-out room, or other components of the vehicle may be seriously damaged.
To further complicate matters, any device used to lock the room in its retracted position cannot interfere with the peripheral seal between the slide-out room and the vehicle side wall. A bulb seal or other sealing structure is generally mounted to the room lip or the side wall of the vehicle and compressed between the lip and the side wall when the room is in its retracted position. Additionally, wiper seals or other such weather stripping is typically mounted along the vertical edges of the side wall opening. These seals wipe along the side walls of the room to remove moisture as the room is retracted into the main living area of the vehicle. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a mechanism to improve sealing, particularly along the top of the slide-out room, that does not interfere with these existing sealing methods.
The present invention provides a main living area with a slide-out room providing an auxiliary living area. The slide-out room floor is movable over the main area floor during extension and retraction of the slide-out room. The slide-out room assembly includes compressible seals to seal the main and auxiliary living areas. An extensible mechanism attached between the main floor and slide-out room floor is configured so that the slide-out room tilts as it moves into its extended and retracted positions thereby compressing the seals and producing a tighter seal between the main living area and the slide-out room. A drive mechanism is included for moving the slide-out room between its extended and retracted positions.
In another version of the invention, the slide-out room has a back wall forming an outer sealing lip between the back wall and the main living area when the slide-out room is in the retracted position. An inner flange forms an inner sealing lip between the inner flange and an inner surface of the main living area when the slide-out room is in the extended position. The slide-out room assembly includes a mechanism that tilts the slide-out room relative to the main living area when extended or retracted to provide sealing between the inner sealing lip and the inner surface when extended and between the outer sealing lip and outer surface when retracted.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings.